History of the World, Part II: a Mel Brooks love letter
History of the World, Part II: a Mel Brooks love letter
After waiting over 40 years there is finally a sequel to the seminal Mel Brooks film, History of the World, Part I, with each episode featuring a variety of sketches that take us through different periods of human history.
Nick Kroll, Ike Barinholtz, Zazie Beetz, Josh Gad, Jay Ellis, David Stassen and Alice Mathias talk History of the World, Part II and dive deep into the iconic influence of the legendary, Mel Brooks.
History of the World, Part II premieres on Hulu on Monday, March 6th with two episodes. Two new episodes will drop daily, with the finale on Thursday, March 9th
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Content
0 -> oh and Nick called me and was like hey
1.979 -> do you want to work on history of the
4.14 -> World Part Two and Mel's involved I was
6.18 -> like
7.14 -> no
10.2 -> roll it
11.44 -> [Music]
13.799 -> oh hello who is this it's your mama if
17.94 -> you're my mother what is your last name
20.48 -> Mel my mother that confirms you I know a
23.34 -> lot of Mel's movies by heart and so when
25.38 -> we got the call to do this it was really
27.119 -> a no-brainer Mel was involved from the
29.16 -> from the jump and in in sort of
30.9 -> conceiving of you know what what the
33.3 -> show could be the structurally how it
35.219 -> worked he has jokes that he's been
37.14 -> waiting to put in things for 40 years
39.96 -> that are in throughout the show and so
42.3 -> you feel this presence throughout the
44.34 -> show and like just being able to pay
46.739 -> homage to him in in all those different
48.539 -> ways it was incredibly gratifying we
51.18 -> knew we wanted to honor the first movie
53.52 -> and honor just the Mel Brooks universe
55.62 -> and while there was a sketch show and
58.68 -> there were going to be some scenes I was
60.059 -> just like Josh Gad owning a room and you
62.64 -> know or just the Council of Nicea with
64.559 -> just a bunch of funny comedians being
67.02 -> awful Bishops rewriting history we also
70.08 -> knew there had to be a Civil War battle
72.18 -> camp and and a forces riding up a hill
75.119 -> and uh and an actual Russian village
78.42 -> where schmuck Mudman and his family
80.46 -> unhappily lived and a musical number
83.1 -> like we knew we wanted big things to
85.799 -> like give the thing a cinematic feel
90.78 -> ings
93.27 -> [Music]
98.06 -> so when you're calling and saying hey do
100.56 -> you want to work on a Mel Brook show and
102.24 -> you get a lot more yeses and no's if any
104.7 -> so not only were people excited to do it
106.979 -> but also understood what like generally
110.399 -> speaking humor wise what what what the
112.92 -> the the the the the like Bellwether was
116.399 -> you know it's like everybody knows his
118.92 -> tone and so it was trying to stay within
120.96 -> that was not that hard because we were
122.46 -> all aware of it and there were just some
125.1 -> folks who you know would zip in for a
127.2 -> day like you get you know Jack Black for
129.539 -> a day but then you get Pam Adlon for a
131.76 -> week and it was just it was just a uh
135.26 -> Cornucopia of of delights I grew up with
139.319 -> Mel's movies and and his uvra was the
142.86 -> first film directors I had ever
145.14 -> completed uh I
147.84 -> I just connected in such uh like a
152.58 -> personal way with his comedy and it and
155.4 -> it spoke to me and inspired me and the
157.08 -> idea that you know 40 years after this
159.66 -> Original Classic was released something
161.28 -> that I watched again and again on VHS uh
164.76 -> growing up in the 80s I uh each is such
167.4 -> a thrill and an honor to get to play in
170.459 -> this sandbox uh with the legend himself
172.86 -> uh so it's real thrill he shaped comedy
176.4 -> and I think it's really interesting to
178.44 -> watch something that you know had such
181.08 -> profound impact and I think even without
184.26 -> really knowing that necessarily as a
187.019 -> child his work just speaks for itself
189.42 -> and it's um it to be doing the show with
193.379 -> something
194.519 -> with content that's so legendary in
197.159 -> terms of sort of the original Ip and
198.78 -> then also with the person who in our
201.599 -> industry so legendary it was such a cool
203.879 -> it was such a cool thing to do with so
206.58 -> many of Mel Brooks's movies like my dad
208.8 -> was like these were he loved Mel Brooks
211.5 -> so so many of my experiences and my
214.26 -> introductions to his films
216.12 -> Blazing Saddles being the first like all
218.819 -> came through my dad and like his love
221.159 -> for Mel Brooks like and the way he
224.459 -> laughed made me laugh you know and
226.62 -> that's from life stinks through you know
229.14 -> Blazing Saddles to Spaceballs the
231.48 -> history of the world to Young
232.799 -> Frankenstein like everything that like
234.54 -> he attached to like I wanted to
236.819 -> understand why and I think in doing that
239.099 -> what I didn't realize was happening at
240.48 -> the time like back towards as he said
242.94 -> but like you were a kid we were kids
245.459 -> watching this comedic genius and like
247.92 -> watching him create something that so
250.14 -> many people have been influenced by I
253.68 -> don't remember the first time I saw
255.42 -> history of the World Part One because
257.6 -> it's always been in me like I remember
260.699 -> everything about it it's just my
263.58 -> childhood like like the Towering Inferno
266.52 -> like you know the Wizard of Oz it's just
269.1 -> like it's wired into my my brain and my
272.82 -> DNA and so I you know had no choice I
275.699 -> grew up the kid of a comedy writer and
278.52 -> producer and so you know Mel is our
283.919 -> one-man band Jewish version of Monty
287.22 -> Python and Mel your hero is able to like
290.9 -> be a part of it and not just like sit
294.68 -> like pushed up against a window with a
298.62 -> thin blanket over his legs and we're
300.479 -> doing a show for him he's in it and part
303.419 -> of it
304.74 -> it's the greatest kind of perfect moment
307.74 -> I would say my household was much more
310.08 -> of a Robin Hood Men in Tights home that
312.54 -> was always on repeat and uh you know he
316.139 -> was he was the guy in our youth and uh
319.259 -> something I shared with my siblings and
321.479 -> as far as being like a formative
323.12 -> influence in the early part of my you
326.34 -> know life like I I was also a ravenous
329.699 -> get smart fan like on Nick at night
331.56 -> would watch it all the time and it was
333.06 -> really so thrilled when in eighth grade
335.1 -> we did get smart as a play and I got
337.62 -> cast as Agent 99 thank you very much
340.38 -> so I will say I was really
343.08 -> truly like paying a lot of attention to
345.66 -> him as a young person and to be part of
348.36 -> the second installment of History the
350.16 -> world was just such a wild opportunity
352.02 -> and one that at first I was so thrilled
353.639 -> about and then very shortly thereafter I
355.259 -> was like I can't do this I can't do Mel
357.36 -> Brooks like what am I trying to do here
359.28 -> like it's way too ambitious
361.62 -> but we just had such a great team and I
363.9 -> think we just took it one little choice
365.34 -> at a time and I think we're all really
367.32 -> happy with the work really most
369.12 -> important was Mel
371.16 -> was always pushing the envelope and I
373.44 -> think our goal was to do the whatever
375.36 -> version in 2023 of that
379.56 -> um and I think he he and also
381.919 -> simultaneously was silly like you know
384.56 -> his work was never quite political even
387.479 -> though he was making broader societal
389.52 -> like uh you know observations
393.12 -> um but it was also fun and silly and and
395.58 -> didn't take itself too seriously and I
397.919 -> think that was important to us to find
400.08 -> as well one of the things I loved about
401.759 -> Fargo the TV show was that how much they
404.58 -> paid homage not only to the the movie
406.259 -> but all of the Coen Brothers work and we
408.96 -> were doing our version of that with what
411.419 -> we're calling the mbu the Mel Brooks
413.1 -> universe and so there are jokes if you
415.139 -> watch the show you know there are jokes
416.94 -> that in there from Blazing Saddles and
419.1 -> from the producers and Young
420.66 -> Frankenstein and Spaceballs as well as
422.94 -> history of the world that some of the
424.919 -> jokes we wrote in our writer's room and
427.08 -> also you know Comics would come in with
429.72 -> their own like Jason Alexander you know
432.12 -> would be like oh I've got I can do a
433.68 -> call back to Spaceballs or Ken Marine I
435.84 -> was like I can do a call back to you
437.699 -> know to this part of history of the
439.139 -> world like there were always ways to
440.52 -> sort of pay homage to Mel's work uh
442.8 -> sprinkled throughout the show almost
444 -> every episode wow wow
449.52 -> you want Jesus to be white that's not
452.22 -> what I'm saying don't you put words in
454.319 -> my mouth history of the World Part Two
457.319 -> part two
459.919 -> if this was on that fish I would cancel
462.419 -> my subscription
463.14 -> [Music]
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZfysWydS9g